


The Convicted

by TashanaAmbrosia



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: AU, AU - Kate's a cop, Conspiracy, F/M, Richie's on death row for murders, Seth's not having this and is playing amatuer dective with a girl, This is gonna be intense, Violence, descriptions of violence, something is amiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 08:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15860148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TashanaAmbrosia/pseuds/TashanaAmbrosia
Summary: Richard Gecko is on death row awaiting lethal injection, but first-year detective Kate Fuller has been assigned to evaluate the evidence and make sure everything is in order before that happens. What started as a punishment has escalated into something more as Kate sees that everything might not be as cut and dry as it seems. With Seth Gecko and his girl (?) insisting on Richie's innocence and one of them demanding Kate's attention - she's starting to question things.Who is Richard Gecko and why does every conversation feel like a chess game?Basically, we have a cop AU with Kate investigating the Geckos and this is going to be an intense piece with lots of twists, turns, and death. Richie/Kate pairing.Thank you for reading.





	The Convicted

**The Convicted: Criminal Minded**

 

The pain was unbearable, but she kept her hand steady on the gun as she fired off the last two shots from her clip. She heard a body hit the wooden platform and collapsed on her back the blood loss making her dizzy. She could feel it pooling under her back and blossoming through her shirt: the shot had been a through and through, and she was bleeding out. She was going to die here on an oil platform in the middle of the nowhere.

“Kate.” The light reflected off the man’s glasses as he knelt by her.

“ _This_. Is. All. Your fault.” She ground her teeth together as the pain washed over her in waves. “I never should have trusted…”

“Try not to talk, it makes it worse.” His voice was disconnected as he pressed his palm against her wound.

“Son of a bitch!” She growled, clamping her eyes closed as the pain intensified.

“I need to...Kate, Kate keep your eyes open!”

His voice sounded so far away and as cliché as it sounded she felt cold and her vision was going dark. She was going to die because of Richard Gecko.

“KATE!”

 

.:.

 

**3Months and 2Days Earlier/92Days Until Execution**

“The scene in the courtroom was one of total chaos as the sentence for serial killer Richard Gecko was handed down.” The reporter’s voice over spiked over the previously recorded footage, “The trial was over swiftly due to the overwhelming evidence and the pure horror of the events. In fact, this is Defense Attorney, Kisa “Santanico” Pandemonium's first loss in over three years. The courtroom had to be cleared when the sentence was read. The killer’s brother forcibly removed...”

The image flashed to Seth Gecko being dragged out by three guards, no audio, but it was easy to read his lips, he had been calling his brother’s name.

“Richard Gecko will be executed by lethal injection in three-months-time. And all that I can say: is that I, along with most of Houston will sleep better for…”

A beer bottle smashed against the LCD television that hung over the bar and a dark-haired, disheveled man stumbled out of the building, barely keeping upright. The metal of his keys scraped and scratched the black paint of the driver’s door before he managed to unlock it and collapse into the driver’s seat. He fumbled with the keys again before muttering, “Fuck it,” and attempted to hotwire the thing. He couldn’t focus on the panel to get it apart and sirens and lights filled the parking lot.

He heard a woman’s voice near his car, but mercifully he passed out in a haze of alcohol, drugs, and guilt. He’d failed his brother. He didn’t protect Richie from himself…

 

Seth had lived an adventurous life: been a bank robber, stolen a few cars, shot a few people (they all deserved it), done some drugs, and had plenty of women with totally different kinks, so waking up with his arms restrained didn’t startle him, until he saw the dead girl sitting a chair next to his bed.

“What the fuck!”

He’d never forget that face as long as he lived. The image of her lying on his brother’s bed, her blonde hair streaked with blood, her missing eyes from her skull placed in her hands, and Richard covered in blood was burned in his brain.

He yanked at the ropes and struggled to get free. “No! No, no, no!”

“I’m not her.” The dead woman assured him, “I’m not Kimber. Kimber was my sister. Just take a deep breath.”

Seth blinked, his head still felt cloudy from the dose he’d given himself…had that been last night? It was dark in the room. “Who…” He coughed and the woman moved to his side, holding a glass of water for him to drink from.

“Easy. Nice and easy. Slow sips.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” She took his pulse, and shined a penlight in his eyes. “Are you feeling any better? More clear headed?”

He blinked, the light instantly giving him a headache, or maybe it had already been there. “Um…I guess. Why the hell am I tied up?” _Wait if it wasn’t a sex thing; why the hell was tied up?_ He was nervous now, trying to yank himself free again. What if this chick wanted revenge for her sister? “Un-fucking-tie me! How long have I been like this?”

“About a day; I’ve been detoxing you. You weren’t in a good way the night I saved you from getting picked up by the cops.” She shrugged off her flannel shirt, her left bicep baring a bruise pattern like a handprint. A handprint about the size of his hand…

“Did I do that?”

“You thought I was a monster, so I won’t hold it against you. I’m, Leah, by the way.” She released his wrists.  “You should have a bite or two before you try and get up and shower. ‘Cause you absolutely need one of those.”

She was right, he could smell himself. _Fuck_. Seth sat up and rubbed his wrists, taking the offered burger from Leah. “Why the hell did you help me?”

“Because I don’t believe that your brother killed my sister.”

Seth bit into the cold food, cringing at the memory of Richie’s confused and wild-eyed expression. “No offense, Lady, and not that I want to believe Richie is guilty, but you didn’t see the Taranto style make-over our apartment got.”

“Your brother’s Schizophrenic right?”

“No!” Seth snarled despite his full mouth, “He’s not fucking crazy. He’s just got issues from our dad knocking him around. Dsyo-something-or-other; he’s fine as long as he takes his meds.”

“D.I.D.” She concluded, before clearing her throat. “My sister, Kimber, she was a pharmacist. She moved to Houston about a year to get away from a stalker. She met your brother when he came in to fill his prescription. She thought he was sweet and he didn’t scare her, which was weird since she was scared of everything that moved back then.”

Seth glanced around the room, the other twin bed had papers all over it, but it was made – like it hadn’t been used. Had she slept that chair? Had she watched him all night? All day? What the hell? Who the hell did that for some asshole they didn’t know?

Leah shifted, tears filling her fawn-colored eyes. “She noticed that your brother always came in early to fill his prescription, but then he didn’t. She was going to see him the night she was killed – to make sure he was alright. She told me that she thought they gave him the wrong medicine.”

Seth took a drink of the open bottle of water on the nightstand. “Prosecutor said he hadn’t been taking his meds.”

“Does that sound like him?”

“No.” Seth admitted finishing off the food. “Why do you care so fucking much?”

“Did you know that your brother was only put on trial for eight murders and not ten?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“Eight ain’t enough?” Seth rubbed the back of his neck to try to get out the stiffness. “Judge thought it was plenty to give him the needle.”

“Do you really think he killed those girls? Be honest.”

“If I hadn’t found the girl and the cop in my apartment…”

“Kimber and the cop weren’t included with the trial.” Leah interrupted.

Seth’s eyebrow shot up, “That doesn’t make any fucking sense. He admitted to killing the cop.”

“Exactly. Why put him on trial for the murders where the evidence was only circumstantial? Why not the woman found in his apartment? Why not the cop he claimed was self-defense? Unless…”

“Unless they’re trying to hide something.” Seth completed her thought, before questioning, “But why? Why Richie?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out and I’d like your help.” Leah pulled herself up onto her feet and offered him her hand. “My sister is gone, but I think we can save your brother.”

Seth hesitated for a moment, then shook her hand – she had a grip and calluses on her fingers. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

.:.

**16 Days Until Execution**

Seth was going over the homemade files and notes for the thousandth time wishing his brain worked more like Richie’s. It didn’t help that he was pissed off at his brother. He’d gone to the prison again and again Richard had refused to see him. What did that idiot hope to accomplish by not talking to him; by not talking to anyone? Richie had let Eddie come see him once, but that was it. After Eddie’s first visit, Richie had refused to see anyone else.

His answered his ringing phone, after glancing at the caller ID, “What’s up, Eddie?”

“That reporter came around again.”

“What did you tell her?”

His uncle let out an exasperated sigh, “Boy, you do remember that I taught you how to criminal and not that other way around, right? I told her the same thing that I told her last time: get the hell off my property and no fucking comment. Did you talk to Richie?”

“No. Asshole wouldn’t see me, again. Does he think this is fucking chess game?”

Eddie was quiet for far too long, “I don’t know what he’s trying to do, Seth. He didn’t look good when I saw him. Do you want me to try again?”

No. Seth didn’t actually want that. He didn’t want Eddie to make that drive, for Richie to deny him the visit. But on the flip of it, he didn’t want to see his Uncle crushed again if he saw Richie all shackled and out of it. “Naw, I’ll get something worked out. I’ll see you Sunday for dinner, okay?”

“Yeah.” Seth started to pull the phone away from his ear, when he heard Eddie speak again, “Hey Seth, none of this is your fault. You did everything you could.”

He rolled his neck, “Don’t go giving up just yet. I’ll see you on Sunday.” He ended the call and tossed the cellphone on his motel bed.

Seth had broken his lease on the apartment right after the trial. Other than grabbing a bag with a couple essentials, he hadn’t been able to step foot in the apartment again. Eddie had gone through and taken anything sentimental and the rest he had a storage company pick up and put into a container. He insisted that the beds be left because even though he doubted the idiots that worked for the moving company would have grabbed the wrong bed, Seth refused to take the chance. He never wanted to see that bloody mattress again.

Seth picked up the file on the banker: Monica Garza, age 35, two kids, married and the last victim before Kimber Denalie and Earl McGraw. She worked at the bank where Richie’s accounts were and he’d interacted with her a handful of time according to the witness reports. Seth had called today and the guise of being a reporter it always seemed to work; the women he talked to didn’t flinch at any of his questions. And other than Richie seeming ‘a bit odd and distracted’ he hadn’t caused raised any red flags with the rest of the staff. His eyes moved to the tin-foil-hat-conspiracy theory wall that he and Leah had been working on for over two months. Monica belonged on the left – confirmed contact with Richie prior to her death.

_They were running out of fucking time._

He tossed the file on the table and pulled out his backup plan out of its hiding place in the motel room Bible. This plan was for a prison break. This plan was not only not ideal, but it would likely end with both him and Richie dying. _Fuck; he wished he could plan the way Richie could_. He could really use that Hal300 brain of his brother’s right about now. This wouldn’t work, the timing would need to be down to the minute and Seth would need a partner and his partner had always been Richie.

He wadded up the paper and threw it in the trash can. This was fucking pointless. Richie was gonna die and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He yanked the whiskey bottle out of the cooler at the foot of the bed and poured himself a glass. He flopped down on the bed took a long slow drink, letting it burn its way down.

The door opened and reflexively he pulled his gun. “Jesus, Seth!” Leah scowled as she let herself into the room, carrying take-out bags. “One these days you’re going pull the trigger and if you kill me, I’ll haunt the ever-living hell out of you.” She set down the bags, her eyes darting to the bottle.

“You want a drink?”

“No. I want you to be sober for once when I get here...” She started to pull out the burgers and his eyes fixed on the familiar bag. “…So we can figure out our next move and I can get to bed before midnight, since I have a day job. Come on let’s eat. What did you figure…”

“I’m not eating that shit.” He growled.

Leah couldn’t have known. They’d talked a lot since this started, in fact, he was pretty sure he talked more with her than he had his ex-wife Vanessa when they were married, but Leah didn’t know every little detail about his life. She didn’t know that he and Richie used to work at that particular burger joint. He wasn’t fucking eating one of Richie’s favorite things when his brother was stuck in prison.

“Are you kidding me right now?!? I’ve seen you eat two-day old unrefrigerated chicken. It’s almost hundred degrees outside, I’m sweaty, I’m exhausted, I had to put down a dog today, which is the fucking worst part of my job, and now you’re _fucking_ in a mood.” She tossed the burger at him. “Just eat it goddamnit.”

In exhausted vet’s defense she’d been putting up with his shit without complaint for weeks, but everyone had a breaking point. Seth actually enjoyed the blonde’s company despite the weird way they’d been thrown into each other’s paths. The curvy blonde didn’t take any shit and she had connections that helped get information that they shouldn’t have been able to get. She had known the cops that responded to his drunken shit-show at the bar, which was the only reason he hadn’t gotten picked up that night. She was furiously determined to get to the bottom of the conspiracy that had set Richie up and Seth couldn’t remember the last time that anyone had stood up for Richie other than himself and Eddie.

He picked up the burger and set it on the nightstand. He glanced up at Leah, who was already two bites into her burger and ignoring him. He put his gun back in the drawer and made his way over to the cheap table. Leah looked back up at him as he attempted to explain, “That was…is…its Richie’s favorite. I can’t…We used to work at that place in high school, he was always stealing them for our ride home.”

Her expression softened, he could see how worn thin she was. Who was he kidding? They were both drained and in reality, neither of them knew what they were doing.

“I’ll be right back.” She disappeared before he could stop her and he put the burger back in the bag, resisting the urge to eat one of the fries, those were his favorite. She reappeared and tossed him a granola bar. “Here. You still need to eat. Are you good if I…” She motioned to her own food.

“Yeah. Go for it. Thanks for this.” He took her soda cup and splashed some of the whiskey into it. “I think you earned a drink.”

Leah nodded and shook the cup to mix the cup's contents before taking a long drink. They ate in silence. He hated granola, too dry, but Leah was right, he needed to eat something, hadn’t eaten since last night. She drained her cup and held it back to him.

“You sure? You work tomorrow.”

Her expression assured him that she was sure, so he obliged her. She took another long drink and sighed looking up at their wall. “Did you get a hold of the college today?”

“College? I called the bank today, talked to one of the other tellers.”

“The bank?” Leah arched her eyebrow. “That was Monica right? The last victim before Kimber?”

“Yeah, the chick I talked to remembered seeing Richie. Said he seemed odd, but…” Seth handed Leah the legal pad that he’d scribbled on earlier. “I don’t know if you can read it that or not.”

“I don’t have any trouble with your handwriting by this point, Gecko.” She scanned the notes. “This is all well and good, but we need to focus on the earlier victims. By the time he got to Monica whoever was killing these girls had practice and knew what he was doing. That’s why I want to focus on Brooke Camison, she was killed almost two years before Monica and was likely the first victim – so the killer might have been close to her.”

“You want to pull anything else off a Criminal Minds re-run?” Seth took another long drink. He wasn’t any good at this shit. He was point and shoot kinda guy. There was a reason Richie planned the jobs; Richie was smarter. Seth had barely slept last night, fucking nightmares, always fucking nightmares. Still, he didn’t need to treat Leah like shit. “Sorry, not trying to be an asshole.”

“Try harder.” She slid her cup over again. “Hit me.”

“Seriously? That’s your third drink in less than an hour. You okay?” He was actually a little worried about Leah; she wasn’t normally this snippy or drink this much on a weekday. He knew her and her schedule pretty well. Friday was the day the clinic opened late, but it was already past nine and she’d need at least four hours and a lot of water to get sober enough to drive.

“I don’t need a parent. Please, just pour me another.” She requested standing up and closing herself in the bathroom.

He wasn’t sure what her problem was tonight. First, she wanted to get things over with and now she wanted to get hammered. He poured half a shot into the cup and mixed it with the flat coke that was sitting on the floor. Leah’s phone lit up with an alert: Facebook – Don’t forget to wish Kimber a Happy Birthday.

_Shit!_ No wonder she was so all over the place. He hesitated for a moment he could probably swipe it away without her seeing it. He knew she probably remembered, but no reason to have it thrown in her face. The bathroom door opened and he dropped her phone back to the table.

“Something wrong?” She let her messy hair out of the ponytail she always had it tied back in and sat back down.

He handed her, her cup back and attempted to casually flip her phone over. “No. I was just thinking you were right about the college thing and the Brooke girl.”

“Okay…?” Leah gave him one of her infamous ‘well you’re clearly up-to-something’ looks, but took a drink from her cup. “Ugh. Did you put that nasty Coke in this? I can handle a shot or two.”

“You normally don’t get drunk so…”

Leah’s phone went off again and she reached for it, but he blocked her hand. “What are you doing? Let me have my phone.”

“What does it matter this late? If it’s an animal emergency you can’t go, you’re drunk.”

“It matters that it’s _my_ damn phone.” She went for it again, pulling it away. “That’s not what the alert is for anyway…”

“Hey, just…”

“I know it’s her birthday, okay! I already know.” Leah unlocked the phone and set it on the table between them. A picture of herself and Kimber both smiling set as the background. “It’s the alert that warns me that her last voicemail is going to be deleted if I don’t opt to keep it. I normally do this before I get here. I forgot today.”

Seth shifted in the uncomfortable chair. “You want me to step outside so you can listen to it?”

“No, I can just start it then save it. Sorry, this is morbid as hell.”

“S’okay.”

She hit the button to start the message and a voice that was eerily similar to Leah’s piped through the speakers. “Hey Lees, just me. I know I said we’d meet for a drink tonight, but I’m running late. Don’t be mad, but that really sweet guy I was telling you about…well he still hasn’t been in for his meds and I’m super worried about him. I pulled his address and I’m going to go check on him. Please don’t be mad, I know you wouldn’t want me to do this, but I really feel like I need to. I think…I…well I’ve got no proof, but I’m afraid someone messed up his prescription last time. And it’s not like he’s dangerous or anything, so I’ll check on him quick then be to the bar by 10. Love ya, Sissy!”

Tears hit the table Leah started silently crying as the message played. Seth hit the button to keep the message for another week and put the phone in power save mode. He took her hand in his, trying to give her some kind of comfort, but not sure if she’d actually want to be touched.

It was one thing to hear Leah tell the story about why Kimber had gone to his and Richie’s apartment that night and another to hear the worry in Kimber’s voice over his brother. He never met Kimber, but he wished he would have, anyone who cared like that was worth knowing. Leah started to trembling, so he cupped Leah’s face in his hands and wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

Leah leaned into the contact. “I miss her so much.”

“I know you do. Fuck, I am so sorry about her. She didn’t deserve what happened. She was a good person.”

“She was the better of us.” Leah pulled his hands away and draped her arms over his shoulders, hugging herself to him, seemly to desperately seek some solace. “I was always the one in trouble.”

He pulled in into his lap; he could hold her, if that would help. That was something he could actually accomplish. He rubbed her back, trying to calm her. She shifted on his lap and he forced himself not to focus on his body’s instant reaction to her soft body pressed against his. “Leah, it’s gonna…”He blanked out for a half second as she trailed her mouth over his neck, catching his earlobe in her teeth.  “Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?” He stammered, “Leah…”

“Please, I just want to feel something other than sad for a little while.” She tugged at his hair and rolled her hips. “It doesn’t have to mean anything. I just need the distraction. Please...”

He stood up with her and set her ass on the table, his dark eyes boring into her lighter ones, but he made no further moves. This was such a mistake. This was so stupid. He pressed his forehead against hers breathing in the charged air…

_She’d had too much to drink; she was emotional wreck… Fuck he’d had **too** much to drink and he was **always** an emotional wreck. He needed to tell her no…_

Her hands cupped his face, “Seth…”

He snarled and stripped her of her t-shirt dropping it to the floor before kissing his way down her throat. “This is such a fucking mistake.” He panted out, while she unhooked her bra. “We shouldn’t be doing this…”

“I don’t care. I just need this…” She tugged at his shirt and he yanked it over his head and tossed it behind him.

He hissed as she scratched his chest. He needed this too; he needed something other than the claustrophobic amateur Sherlock shit and the constant panic that he was going to lose Richie forever. He needed to think about something other than dead girls and bloodstained scenes.

His mouth found hers and their kiss was violent and unapologetically demanding, she tasted like the whiskey and coke and spice. One hand clamped down on her hip to keep her from grinding on him, as the other found one of her breasts and she whined in his mouth. Fuck. Her skin was soft, despite the strength, he knew she had from her job.

Her hands fumbled with his belt and he got the damn hint. He could tease her later, right now if he didn’t just fuck her she was going to kill him. “Condom. Give me two seconds.” He pulled the drawer right out of the nightstand, palming the foil and making his way to the woman that was shimmying out of her jeans. “Did you want…” He thumbed back at the bed.

She pushed herself back up on the table motioning for him to come to her. He grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her again forcing his tongue into her mouth as his finger slipped under the black lace. She whimpered and rocked against his hand. “Just…”

Her phone rang a shrill ringtone that startled them both out of the rushed headspace they’d been in. Leah picked it up and looked at the screen, her eyes widening, “I…um…I have to…” She swiped the screen and answered the call. “Hello, this is Leah.” She blushed suddenly, covering her chest with one arm.

Seth handed her, her discarded top and watched her tuck it under her arms to cover her front.

“Yes. Miss Vasconcelos, how are you this evening? No, no it’s not too late at all. Really? Really? And the name? Thank you. Thank you so much. Tell the Governor that I truly appreciate it. Good Evening to you as well.” Leah set the phone down and looked up at Seth.

“Care to share?” He shoved the condom in his back pocket because whatever that was, it was not happening now.

She smiled, brilliant, bright, and triumphant as she hopped off the table and threw her arms around his neck, laughing. “We got a detective assigned to review Richard’s case. All the evidence has to get reviewed before the execution. We are going to be able to prove that he didn’t do this!”

Seth felt light for the first time since Richie’s sentencing. He whooped and squeezed Leah as he spun them around in a circle. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No! Her name is Kathrine Fuller and she’s a first-year detective, which isn’t ideal, but…”

“But it’s gonna happen. Thank you.” He realized that she’d lost her shirt in the excitement but all he focused on was her happy expression. “Thank you, Leah.” He gave her a real kiss this time. Not panicked or hiding from something else, but a kiss fueled by gratefulness and the connection that had grown between them. “Thank you for believing we could do this.”

“Fight’s not over, Handsome. We still gotta convince the cop.”

“You leave that to me.” He smirked keeping her in his arms.

Her eyebrow shot up, “That’s not super encouraging.”

“Trust me.”

“Famous last words coming from a former thief.” She traced her fingers over his tattoo.

“You’re pretty much naked, right now. You must trust me for something.”

“Brat.”

.:.

**15 Days Until Execution**

 

“Oh, this is such bullshit!”

“ _Detective_ Fuller if you don’t want to be _Janitor_ Fuller for the remainder of your time in this precinct, I highly suggest that you sit down and shut up!” The balding chief of police pointed to the worn out leather chair across from his desk.

The brunette scowled and flopped down, but still persisted, “That club is running drugs and possibly…”

“I don’t care if El Chapo himself is eating there every Friday at 7 on the dot! When the district attorney tells you to keep your nose out of something, you damn well keep your nose out of it!” He interrupted pointing the files. “The only reason I’m not suspending you is that I need _that_ taken care of and I don’t want to waste any of my manpower that will actually listen when I give an order to have to suffer through it.”

Kate snatched one of the files off the desk and flipped through it spitefully before slapping it back in the pile. “I’ve solved the case. The wackjob did it and he should be executed in two weeks when it’s scheduled. Look, another record for me.”

“Fuller, the Governor wants it investigated, so you will either review the case in full – make sure it’s airtight, or you will take a two-week suspension and might keep your badge even longer if I’m so inclined.” He folded his arms over his chest at her silence. “That’s what I thought. Now take the files and get the hell out of my office.”

Kate Fuller, youngest police detective in Houston’s history, knew when it was time to cut her losses. She grabbed the handful of files and stormed out of the office, stomping her way to her next destination. She rounded the first corner by the stairs to the basement and glared at the Latino man that grabbed her arm.

“Thanks for the back-up, _partner_.” She shrugged her arm free.

“Oh man, the ‘p’ word? You said you’d be dead before you called anyone partner. Are you going to shoot me?” Freddie snickered.

“Laugh it up. I’m gonna make you regret hanging me out to dry.”

He looked around before quietly reminding her, “You were the one that wanted it that way. You said you wanted to make sure one of us stayed on this case if the other got caught.”

She shifted and put her free hand on her hip, “But I thought you’d be the one to get caught.”

“My wife and child appreciate your concern.”

Kate finally cracked a smile, despite everything it was impossible for her to stay mad at Freddie. He’d volunteered to work with when she first got promoted and he didn’t treat her any different because she was a woman. “You owe me a beer and a home-cooked meal.”

“You know you’re welcome anytime. Mags, loves to cook for a crowd and Billie just loves you in general.”

“You’ve got a good family.” She paused as a uniform paced by them.  “Just keep anything you find on the down-low, I don’t want you getting caught.” She started down the steps.

“Where are you off to in such a rush? He didn’t put you on desk duty?” Freddie questioned.

Kate thumped down the stairs holding the files over her head, “I got the death-row evidence check.”

“Since when do we do that in Texas?”

“Since the Governor’s up for re-election and the last victim’s sister is a bleeding heart vet that saved a drug-sniffing dog.” She waved him off, “Go home. I gotta see a man about a computer file.”

Kate rounded the corner in the basement passing by the morgue on her way to the little nook office. The dimly lit room was glowing from the multiple computer screens, smelled of taco-truck takeout, and faint rock music could be heard through the headphones of the young man clacking away on the keys.

She rolled her eyes and pushed his desk chair with her foot, nearly toppling him over.

He yelped, but righted himself at the last moment, “Geeze, Katie, you wanna give a guy some warning?!?”

She narrowed her eyes at the nickname, “You’re lucky you’re my brother, or I’d kick your chair again. Scott, this place is a mess.” She glanced around, “Doesn’t anyone give you grief over the smell?”

“Just you.” He pulled down the headphones, leaving them around his neck. “What’s up? You normally text me if you need something.”

She started to clear off part of the desk to sit on, then thought better of it. “I got assigned the evidence check for the Richard Gecko case…”

“Richard Gecko the serial killer?”

“Nope, the security analyst they decided to give the needle for parking in his boss’ parking space. It has nothing to do with the killing of nine girls and one cop.”

Scott rolled his eyes, “You’re bitchy than normal. What gives?”

“Nothing. Something. Everything.” She huffed, gingerly setting the files down on what looked like a safe surface and rubbed the back of her neck. “Chief found out I was investigating the Twister.”

“I was looking into the financials; you couldn’t wait?” He pointed to the laptop bag at his feet. “I was getting somewhere.”

“I just don’t like that place. I know there’s something going on and I don’t like that the sleazebag D.A. is the one that pulled me away from it…It makes me think this is bigger than just a club selling drugs and maybe people.” She poked at a container before Scott shook his head and she tossed it in the trash.

“Okay. So pause on the conspiracy theory crazy for a spell.” Scott started typing to pull up the criminal record for Richard Anthony Gecko, convicted serial killer. “So what do you want me to email you?”

“Everything.”

“Everything meaning?”

“Everything meaning everything you can find. So criminal records, juvie records, known associates, family…”

“Juvie records are sealed.”

Kate picked her files back up, “Because that’s ever stopped you.”

Scott chuckled, “I’ll start emailing them over.”

“Good, I want to go interview him tomorrow.”

Scott arched his eyebrow at his sister, “You’re gonna go meet him? Tomorrow? Don’t you want to be more prepared?”

“First meeting is about sizing him up. Sacrifice a pawn or two so I can get a baseline for his reactions.” Kate opened the door to let herself out. “I’m going for a run before I start looking it over, so take your time and be thorough.”

“Whatever you say Nancy Drew.”  
.:.

Kate finished her five-mile run and let herself into her little apartment, it was dark and the security system was off. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, someone was in this apartment with her. She weighed her options: go for the gun in the closet, back out through the front door, or bait them out by acting like nothing was wrong?

She didn’t get a chance to decide…

An arm coiled around her, pinning her arms down as a cloth closed over her mouth and nose. She gasped like a damn rookie, cursing herself for getting a deeper breath of whatever the substance was. She flailed her legs, trying to get them to the wall to get leverage against the attacker.

“Not happening, Princess.” A male voice informed her, clicking his tongue as she struggled in vain against his strength and the effects of of…chloroform?

_Who the hell used chloroform? And what the hell had he just called her?!?_ Kate snarled and threw her weight to the left, impacting them both into the wall.

He adjusted nearly instantly flattening her front against the wall and lifted her off the ground with his knee between her legs.

This was not happening…this was not happening in her home…this couldn’t be…

“I’m not gonna hurt you..” His breath was hot against the back of her neck and she cringed. He noticed her reaction and sighed, almost defeated, “Look, I don’t want to hurt you. I need to make sure you listen. Just breathe.”

She wanted to snap that drugging someone, pinning them to a wall in a very rape-y fashion wasn’t a great way to get someone to listen, but the drugs were already fogging her brain. Kate bit the inside of her cheek and tried to slow her breathing down. If she could at like she was already under…

He pinched her arm, making her yelp. “Nice try, but I know that trick. Now calm down and do what I say. One more deep breath…”

“Fuck you!” She snarled into the cloth and attempted to unsettle his footing again, but he didn’t budge an inch this time.

Her eyes fluttered and her world went black.

.:.

Well that esclated quickly. I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this piece.


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